T. 03 9687 1910 E. footscray.ps@education.vic.gov.au www.footscrayps.vic.edu.au LEARNING FOR LIVING

School isn’t school without the children

It has been so wonderful to have all of our students back on the school grounds this week. The teachers have done an incredible job of developing engaging programs that re-establish routines and structures, whilst building in time for reconnection and wellbeing. There have also been many opportunities for outdoor learning which has been delightful to see and I have certainly enjoyed hearing laughter and squeals of joy ringing through the grounds.

Foundation 2021

We have had a number of sibling enrolments processed in recent weeks and had a great turn out to our virtual Foundation Information Night last night. Please inform any friends and neighbours with children starting school next year that enrolments are now open. We will announce an additional information night shortly and hope that we will soon be able to start tours again. If you have a child starting next year, please submit your enrolment forms as soon as possible. It seems crazy that we are already thinking about 2021!

Student and Staff Health and Safety

We have noticed that the number adults on site has been slowly increasing. Please ensure that you remain outside the school boundary unless your child requires assistance getting to their classroom due to anxiety or another physical reason. In the afternoons, please arrange to meet your child at a particular gate or point outside the school. Many parents have commented that the current situation has been a great way to build independence and encourage children to walk or ride to school where possible. One great idea is to plan a route where children can meet up with friends on the walk to school to form a ‘walking school bus’.

We continue to have increased cleaning throughout the day and after hours, along with the provision of hand sanitiser for staff and students. We have many smaller rooms set up as mini staff rooms to ensure staff have safe spaces to rest and eat.

Friday the 12th of June

Important Dates

Friday 26th June Last day of term School finishes at 2pm Monday 13th July First day back for term 3

Bank Details Commonwealth Bank Footscray Primary School BSB: 063 132 Account: 10090179 Please include a reference with the student(s)’ name. EFTPOS available at the office

T. 03 9687 1910 E. footscray.ps@education.vic.gov.au www.footscrayps.vic.edu.au LEARNING FOR LIVING

Canteen

The canteen window will be closed before and after school. Please ensure canteen orders are placed online or written on a bag or envelope with money inside to be handed to the classroom teacher.

Edwardian Works

The carpet is being laid in 6Cs classroom today. We hope to have the children back in their regular learning space by early next week. Whilst there has been some inconvenience, we are excited to have fixed a longstanding issue that was significantly impacting on the learning environment and are grateful that DET fully funded the repair work. Thank you to the students of 6C and to Luke for being so understanding during the repairs.

Community Pantry

Thank you to the many families and staff members who regularly donate to the Community Pantry. We would like to keep this as an ongoing support program run by our school community for our school community.

Language Learning

Please make sure you stay connected to school by regularly reading the newsletter and compass posts. The sub committee has been meeting weekly to build our collective knowledge of the five languages of Chinese-Mandarin, French, Indonesian, Italian and Japanese. We will be sharing profiles of each language shortly and then asking our community to rank their language preferences. We are aiming to have our new bilingual language selected and communicated early next term. From here we will work on the finer details of our language learning for 2021 and beyond; both our bilingual and our LOTE program.

T. 03 9687 1910 E. footscray.ps@education.vic.gov.au www.footscrayps.vic.edu.au LEARNING FOR LIVING

Writing for a Purpose

I have included a letter to Bunnings that was written by Fleur in Year 2. I needed an author who was good at persuading and you will see that Fleur certainly stepped up to the challenge! Writing for a purpose is really important. Authors don’t just wake up and decide to write a persuasive text. Persuasion is the result of a desire to influence and make change. When we write to persuade, we need purpose and an authentic audience. This is what inquiry learning is all about. We hope to hear some good news back from Bunnings soon.

Thank you,

Jen

Reporting and Parent Teacher Interviews

A reminder that due to the impact of remote schooling, teachers have been unable to deliver, differentiate and assess the full range of curriculum that would normally be enacted this semester. Assuming the rest of the year is on site, regular reporting will return in the next semester. This term, your child/ren’s personalised, written report will look a little different. Teachers have been hard at work writing general comments that give an indication of their knowledge of the students as learners and how they adapted to the remote learning environment. You will also see an indication of the students’ achievements in Literacy, Numeracy and Inquiry, however these will focus on the curriculum taught in Term One. We are aiming for parent-teacher interviews to be scheduled for week two of Term Three, where you can discuss your child/ren’s progress with their teacher. These will also need to look different due to social distancing protocols and we are continuing to finalise the design and dates for these over the coming weeks. As soon as we have confirmed details we will share these with you so you can plan accordingly.

Staff Car Park

A reminder to all families that the staff car park is strictly for staff only. Students, parents and carers are not to enter the staff car park under any circumstances. We understand it can be difficult to find a car park during busy times but the safety of our students must come first. This includes walking and riding bikes through the car park. At pick up and drop off times please use pedestrian gates provided on Commercial Rd, located at after school care and near the Greenwood building or on Herbert street. There are also accessible double gates on Commercial Rd for bicycle access. During school hours, please access the school via the main gates on Geelong Rd. Thank you.

Home Contact details

Please keep your home contact details accurate and up to date, the school needs to know if you have moved or if your phone details have changed. We also need to update emergency contact details, if your child is badly injured or becomes ill we need to be able to contact someone.

T. 03 9687 1910 E. footscray.ps@education.vic.gov.au www.footscrayps.vic.edu.au LEARNING FOR LIVING

T. 03 9687 1910 E. footscray.ps@education.vic.gov.au www.footscrayps.vic.edu.au LEARNING FOR LIVING

T. 03 9687 1910 E. footscray.ps@education.vic.gov.au www.footscrayps.vic.edu.au LEARNING FOR LIVING

T. 03 9687 1910 E. footscray.ps@education.vic.gov.au www.footscrayps.vic.edu.au LEARNING FOR LIVING

Student of the week Grade Student Specialist PE Annabel Cotsell 1C Specialist Vietnamese

Klara 5B

1A Lucy Outhred 1B Janelle Tran 1C Eva Mckimm 2A Caleb Williams 2B Maisie Watt 2C Abbie Glarin 34A Kai O’Sullivan 34B Shahin 34C Ruby Chiu 34D Thomas G 34E Tesfaalem T 5A Finn Roennfeldt 5B Prathyush Thakur 6A Kuenrig Dorjee 6B Miranda Gorman 6C Rosie Vu

T. 03 9687 1910 E. footscray.ps@education.vic.gov.au www.footscrayps.vic.edu.au LEARNING FOR LIVING

Footscray Primary School COVID-19 Return to School Policy

PURPOSE

The purpose of this policy is to outline how our school will be managing risk relating to Coronavirus (COVID-19) during key interactions between students, parents and staff during the return to school in Term 2, 2020.

Footscray Primary School is committed to providing a safe learning and working environment for our students and staff. We ask for the whole school community to follow this policy to enable us to provide the safest possible environment during this time. We all have a role to play in stopping the spread of COVID-19 in Victoria.

BACKGROUND

Footscray Primary School is following the advice from the Department of Education and Training including, Health and safety advice for return to onsite learning in the context of COVID-19 which can be found on the Department’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) website.

SCOPE

This policy applies to everyone in the Footscray Primary School community. This includes all members of staff (principals, teachers and education support staff), all parents/carers who interact with the school and all students. It also includes visitors to the school.

REQUIREMENTS

Attendance on-site

The Department of Education and Training (DET) advises that:

Perhaps the most important action school communities can take to reduce the risk of transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19), is to ensure that any unwell staff, children and young people remain at home.

While the risk of transmission of the virus is very low, staff or students most at risk of severe illness should individually assess appropriateness for onsite attendance at this time with support from their medical practitioner.

As the main risk of transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the school environment is between adults, it is important that visitors to school grounds are limited to those delivering or supporting essential school services and operations.

This means that at our school:

All unwell staff and students must stay home. Parents/carers of students with complex medical needs (including those with compromised

immune systems), should seek advice from the student’s medical practitioner to support decision-making about whether on-site education is suitable, noting that this advice may change depending on the status of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Victoria. This is in line with the DET Health Care Needs policy.

Visitors to school grounds will be limited to those delivering or supporting essential school services and operations (e.g. student health and wellbeing services, specialist curriculum programs, maintenance workers).

Additional staff, including parent volunteers, are unable to attend school at this time. Activities dependent on and involving parents are cancelled until further notice.

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We ask that any parents/carers wishing to discuss any matters with a staff member to first use the options of either a phone call, video call or email. If a face-to face meeting is needed, it must meet the physical distancing requirements of 1.5m between adults.

All interschool activities that involve onsite attendance by students from other schools will either take place virtually or will be cancelled.

School assemblies, excursions, camps and other non-essential large gatherings will be postponed.

School arrival and departure

DET advises that:

As the main risk of introducing coronavirus (COVID-19) to the school environment is from adults, close proximity between adult members of the school community should be avoided, particularly during school drop-off and pick-up.

This means that at our school:

We ask staff and parents/carers to observe physical distancing measures by not congregating in areas inside or around the school.

To minimise interaction of students and adults within the school and at entry points we: o will open extra gates as entry and exit points, to reduce congestion at peak times o request that parents only enter the school grounds when essential to do so and to contact

the school by phone or email where appropriate instead o request parents/ carers do not enter school classrooms or buildings o encourage non-contact greetings o ask that parents/carers do not to linger while picking up or dropping off students

Hygiene

DET advises that:

Everyone can protect themselves and prevent the spread of coronavirus by continuing effective hand hygiene.

At our school:

All staff and students will undertake regular hand hygiene, particularly on arrival to school, before and after eating, after blowing their nose, coughing, sneezing or using the toilet. This will be directed or supervised by staff where required.

Where soap and water are not readily available, hand sanitiser will be made available. Students must bring their own water bottles to school for use (and refilling). It is recommended

that students do not drink directly from drinking fountains at this time. Staff and students are reminded to clean their mobile phones regularly. The Footscray Primary

School Mobile Phone Policy remains in place so students will not be handling their mobile phones during the school day.

Sharing of food is not permitted.

Specific arrangements for teaching and learning environments and break times

DET advises that:

Maintaining a physical distance of 1.5 metres will not always be practical in education settings. Physical distancing is most important between adults.

Reducing mixing between different cohorts (either classes or year levels) is recommended as a precautionary measure to minimise risk of spread of transmission and aid containment in the rare event of a confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19) on site.

T. 03 9687 1910 E. footscray.ps@education.vic.gov.au www.footscrayps.vic.edu.au LEARNING FOR LIVING

At our school we will:

Implement staggered break times to reduce intermingling of staff wherever possible keep windows and doors open to promote fresh air flow indoors as practical maximise use of outdoor learning areas or environments with enhanced ventilation where

possible and as practical depending on weather conditions timetable staff to largely remain in the same classroom areas where possible rather than

moving for particular classes from room to room require staff to maintain physical distancing with other adults as much as practical when

working in a classroom together

School offices and staff facilities

DET advises that:

As the greatest risk of transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the school environment is between adults, close proximity between staff will be avoided where possible and especially in offices and staff rooms.

At our school we will:

Spread staff workstations out as much as possible and limit the number of staff in offices, re-locating staff to other spaces (e.g. library or unused classrooms)].

In line with other workplaces across Victoria, we will remind staff to maintain physical distancing from each other as much as possible in the reception, staff room and offices.

Cleaning and facilities management

DET advises that:

Environmental cleaning, coupled with regular hand hygiene, remains important to reduce the risk of coronavirus (COVID-19) transmission.

At our school we will:

Continue extension of routine environmental cleaning, including progressive cleaning throughout the day to ensure that risks of transmission are reduced for high-touch services. See Department information about Access to cleaning supplies and services.

Carefully consider the necessity of using shared items or equipment e.g.: shared computers, class sets of teaching and learning materials, musical instruments etc. at this time.

We will be practising hand hygiene immediately before and after use of shared equipment

Sport and recreation

DET advises that:

In line with community advice, reasonable precautions are still advised to reduce the risk of coronavirus (COVID-19) transmission in the context of sport and recreation.

Playground equipment can be used. However, students will be directed to practise hand hygiene before and after use.

Wherever possible, outdoor facilities will be used for physical education and recreational play. Where indoor facilities are used, we will limit the number of students.

Swimming and aquatic facilities will not be used. We will encourage non-contact sports at this time. Hand hygiene will be practised before and

after use of any sporting equipment.

T. 03 9687 1910 E. footscray.ps@education.vic.gov.au www.footscrayps.vic.edu.au LEARNING FOR LIVING

Provision of routine care and first aid

DET advises that:

Physical distancing is not practical when providing direct care. In this situation standard precautions, including hand hygiene, are important for infection control.

At our school:

Standard precautions as per DET Infectious Diseases policy will be followed when providing first aid. For example, we will use gloves and an apron when dealing with blood or body fluids/substances.

Hand hygiene will be practised before and after performing routine care or first aid. Additional Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), for example face masks, is not required to

provide routine care or first aid for students who are well, unless such precautions are usually adopted in the routine care of an individual student.

Management of an unwell student or staff member

DET advises that:

It is important that any staff member or student who becomes unwell while at school returns home. While it is unlikely that a staff member or student who is unwell with flu-like symptoms will have coronavirus (COVID-19) there are some sensible steps schools can take while a student awaits collection by a parent or carer as a precaution.

This means that at our school:

Staff and students experiencing compatible symptoms with coronavirus (COVID-19), such as fever, cough or sore throat, will be isolated in an appropriate space with suitable supervision and collected by a parent/carer as soon as possible. Urgent medical attention will be sought where needed. Unwell students will not be permitted to travel home unsupervised.

Where staff or students are experiencing compatible symptoms with coronavirus, we will ensure hand hygiene, physical distancing and (where possible) use of a face mask. See DET guidance for the use of Personal Protective Equipment in education.

Health care plans, where relevant, should be updated to provide additional advice on monitoring and identification of the unwell child in the context of coronavirus (COVID-19).

If a staff member is unsure whether a student is unwell in the first instance we will contact the parent/carer to discuss any concerns about the health status of the student, and we will take a precautionary approach, requesting the parent/carer to collect their child if concerns remain. A trained staff member may take the temperature of the student, where appropriate, to support decision-making. Gloves will be worn for the purpose of taking a temperature.

Staff or students experiencing compatible symptoms with coronavirus (COVID-19) should be encouraged to seek the advice of their healthcare professional who can advise on next steps. A medical certificate is not required to return to school after a period of illness, however staff and students should not return until symptoms resolve.

If a student spreads droplets (for example by sneezing, coughing or vomiting), surfaces will be immediately cleaned with disinfectant wipes (and using gloves).

Managing a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19

DET has comprehensive procedures in place with the Department of Health and Human Services to manage suspected or confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in schools.

We will contact the Department of Health and Human Services on 1300 651 160 to discuss what to do next if a student or staff member:

o is a confirmed case o has been in close contact with a confirmed case

We will inform the Department by making an IRIS incident alert.

T. 03 9687 1910 E. footscray.ps@education.vic.gov.au www.footscrayps.vic.edu.au LEARNING FOR LIVING

DHHS defines ‘close contact’ as someone who has either:

had at least 15 minutes of face-to-face contact with a confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19) shared a closed space for more than two hours with someone who is a confirmed case.

FURTHER INFORMATION AND RESOURCES

DET Coronavirus (COVID-19) website: o https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/Pages/coronavirus-advice-schools.aspx

DHHS Coronavirus (COVID-19) website: o https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus

DET Infectious Diseases Policy: o https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/spag/health/pages/infectiousdiseas

es.aspx DET Health Care Needs Policy

o https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/spag/health/pages/healthcareneeds.aspx

Talking to your child about COVID-19: o https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/department/covid-19/talking-to-

your-child-during-coronavirus.docx Department of Education and Training COVID-19 Advice Line – 1800 338 663 Department of Health and Human Services Coronavirus hotline – 1800 675 398 (24 hours, 7 days

a week)

REVIEW

This policy was last updated on Friday 22 May and will be reviewed at the end of Term 2.

T. 03 9687 1910 E. footscray.ps@education.vic.gov.au www.footscrayps.vic.edu.au LEARNING FOR LIVING

Purpose: The purpose of this policy is to explain to our school community Footscray Primary School’s policy requirements and expectations regarding the safe and appropriate use of mobile phones and other smart devices by students and staff, at school or during school activities. Our core business of teaching and learning needs to be conducted in an environment free from unnecessary distraction or disruption which can occur by such devices.

Scope: This policy applies to: 1. All students and staff at Footscray Primary School and,

2. Students’ personal mobile phones and devices brought onto school premises during school hours.

Definitions: A mobile phone is a telephone with access to a cellular (telecommunication) system, with or without a physical connection to a network. For the purpose of this policy, “mobile phone” refers to mobile phones and any device that may connect to or have a similar functionality to a mobile phone such as smart watches.

Policy: This policy provides the guidelines for the care and use of any electronic communication device, including mobile phones, smartwatches, game controllers, personal tablets or personal iPads by students and staff at Footscray Primary School. Children’s safety is our first priority and we acknowledge how important it is for parents to know that their child is safe, not only at school but in their travels to and from. We understand that some parents give access to mobile phones to their primary aged children in case of emergency. Whilst at school however between the hours of 8.45am until 3.45pm - the time a child may reasonably be in the school grounds supervised by teachers - the use of devices is not required or permitted. During these hours parents and students have access to each other whenever required through the front office. Parents are able to ring the front office and communicate messages to children to alter plans or to ensure their safety in cases of family emergency.

FOOTSCRAY PRIMARY SCHOOL Mobile devices policy

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Students: ● The Mobile Device Permission Form must be submitted by parents to the Principal.

● Students are not to have mobile devices in their possession during school hours.

● Devices must be switched off and signed into the office upon arrival at school.

● Devices must be clearly and securely labelled with name and grade.

● Students will write their name on the sign-in sheet at the office.

● Devices can be collected at the end of the day from the front office after signing the sign-out sheet

Staff: ● Mobile phones may only be used by staff during those times when they are not directly undertaking school responsibilities. Eg teaching sessions, meetings.

● Staff may use mobile phones for purposes directly related to school activities.

Secure storage ● Mobile devices owned by students at Footscray Primary School are considered valuable items and are brought to school at the owner’s (student’s or parent/carer’s) risk. Students are encouraged not to bring a mobile phone to school unless there is a compelling reason to do so. Please note that Footscray Primary School does not have accident insurance for accidental property damage or theft. Students and their parents/carers are encouraged to obtain appropriate insurance for valuable items.

● Where students bring a mobile device to school, Footscray Primary School will provide secure storage at the front office. Secure storage is storage that cannot be readily accessed by those without permission to do so.

Enforcement: Students found with devices without Principal approval will have their device confiscated and parents will need to come to the school and collect it. If this is ongoing, parents will be required to meet with the Principal. If this policy is not followed the Principal may revoke a student’s permission to bring a device to school. The school accepts no responsibility for the theft, breakage or loss of devices. Including while in the office drop-off box. Students attending camps and excursions will not be permitted to take mobile phones or other devices, including smart watches. Teachers will carry mobile phones with them which can be used in cases of emergency. In a camp situation, contact details will be made available prior to departure.

T. 03 9687 1910 E. footscray.ps@education.vic.gov.au www.footscrayps.vic.edu.au LEARNING FOR LIVING

Exceptions Exceptions to the policy: · may be applied during school hours if certain conditions are met, specifically, ● For a reasonable adjustment to a learning program; and

● Health and wellbeing-related exceptions

The categories of exceptions allowed under this policy are: